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Symantec's Genesis to Usher in a New Age of Trust?

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the grand-designs dept.

eldavojohn writes "Symantec has announced that they will be creating a massive security package called Genesis. Semantec has set their goal to 'Security 2.0' which is proposed to be 'a new age of trust on the Internet.' From the article: 'Symantec plans a one-stop software service tying together anti-virus, anti-spam, firewall and a host of other PC optimization technologies...' This is certainly something the common computer user could buy instead of having to fork over cash for every component. I don't think I'll be purchasing it though."

18 of 275 comments (clear)

  1. Genesis? by dorkygeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Let's hope it was designed intelligently then...

    But seriously, I'd rather have the security problems fixed at the source, instead of having to add layers and layers of so called "security software".

    --
    Windows is like decaf - it tastes like the real thing, but it won't get you through the day.
    1. Re:Genesis? by sumdumass · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I'm wondering if all these layers will slow my computer down even more then thier existing software does. It is pretty bad when i upgrade from a athlon XP 2200 to an 3200 processor and after installing nortan AV 2005 it apears to run slower then the XP2200 did.

      I havn't been fond of thier products since thier 2003 versions. I asked thier tech support several times (after having to reinstal one of thier products and reactivating it because of an upgrade or it just stoped working) why all the systems I install thier AV or internet securities sweet on run so slow and they told me it was because "it is a complicated program","thats how you know it is working" and get this "microsoft slows it down because microsoft is coming out with an antivirus soon".

    2. Re:Genesis? by Al+Dimond · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There have been plenty of buffer overrun vulnerabilities allowing potential arbitrary code execution on all major operating systems. There have been plenty of priviledge escalation vulnerabilities on all major operating systems. All you need to get from there to a real exploit is either (a) a vulnerable server listening on some port or (b) some user to click on the wrong link or open the wrong attachment.

      90s Outlook had lots of problems. 90s IE had lots of problems. There's a big problem with user accounts on Windows and how difficult it is to run as non-admin. And Windows doesn't have effective tools like sudo to grant occasional privledges beyond the usual. These tools can be built onto Windows. Third-party developers can be pressured to release software that works with the security model. Exploits can be patched, and quality control can be improved. And there are a lot of people working for Microsoft on these very things.

      Microsoft may never fully win the battle against hackers. But then again, I don't know if anyone ever can. Even OpenBSD has had security holes in its default install a few times, and it's fighting a much less malicious group of hackers than Windows is. I love using GNU/Linux; it's cool that Unix has had sudo since 1980 and a tradition of sane security practices. That doesn't mean we should get arrogant about security.

    3. Re:Genesis? by silverburn · · Score: 3, Informative
      Hear, Hear.

      Try installing the 2006 Internet Security edition; on a Athlon 3200+ it's so slow on startup I just standby the PC now instead of turning it off, for fear of dropping dead of old age before my PC's restarted.

      And it now takes THREE TIMES LONGER to get fully operational. And opening a word document takes an eternity. And it breaks more often than the 2005 edition (twice since it was launched!).

      What an utterly shite piece of flaky bloatware it's become.

  2. Now if they can get their cpu use down... by ChaoticLimbs · · Score: 4, Informative

    Symantec and Norton antivirus and security packages (on machines I have experience with) use an absurd amount of memory and processor resources. Any hope that this will change someday?

    1. Re:Now if they can get their cpu use down... by WhiteWolf666 · · Score: 5, Informative

      I can't think of one major software package that has reduced bloat over the years.

      OS X, for one.

      KDE, during major versions, for two. 3.2 was faster than 3.1, 3.5 is way faster than 3.4, or 3.2

      There's a school of software development that involves making your software leaner and meaner as it "ages".

      New versions are more bloated. New revisions are LESS bloated.

      --
      WhiteWolf666 an exBush supporter. All you new-school,compassionate,save the children Republicans can rot in hell
    2. Re:Now if they can get their cpu use down... by Bananatree3 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Symantec and Norton antivirus and security packages (on machines I have experience with) use an absurd amount of memory and processor resources. Any hope that this will change someday?

      Why yes, you can solve this problem today! Simply get a dual-core system, and voila! One core for the all-in-one anti-virus, firewall, automated secure dohicky, bloated security suite; and the other core for the rest of your stuff! It will feel as if you aren't running it at all!

  3. Internet Security by PaladinAlpha · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Really, this doesn't seem all that revolutionary -- Symantec, like McAfee, like any other company serious in the business, ALREADY offers an integrated suite of tools (Internet Security) and no matter the advancement of interplay and integration I have a hard time believing that Genesis will come across to the average user as being so much more. Wait and see, I guess.

  4. I prefer Exodus. by dcapel · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have already left slavery for the promised land. Lots of those strange penguins around though...

    --
    DYWYPI?
  5. On Symantec's new software by Haiku+4+U · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Genesis? Sounds good.
    Secure from malware at last!
    So, is it Linux?

  6. Optimization Technologies? by rminsk · · Score: 4, Interesting
    and a host of other PC optimization technologies...

    So when did anti-virus, anti-spam, and a firewall become optimization technologies? My computer seems to run slower with these things installed.

  7. Let's learn from history by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Genesii (That's multiple Genesis to you and I) have a history of utter failure.

    Genesis (Sega): Defeated by SNES
    Genesis (STWoK): Stolen by Khan, and he damn dear destroyed the enterprise with it
    Genesis (Band): Ushered in the era of HORRID 80's music

    Please Symantec, can we call this something that has a history of goodness attached to it, like Campbells?

  8. bloatware by Jjeff1 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If it's similar at all to any of the Symantec home all in one AV type packages it will be an enormous mess. The last time I worked on this, a 256MB machine used 270 MB of memory with nothing but Windows XP home and the Norton package running. Worse, when I disabled things they didn't need, like the firewall or spam scanner, it didn't actually unload them from memory.

    I stopped using Symantec for AV a while ago. But home users will still buy this for the same reason they buy a dishwasher with 19 different settings when all they ever use is the pots and pans setting.

  9. Age of trust???? by scronline · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Shouldn't we be able to trust them now? Oh wait, since it took them 2 weeks to get the definitions out for a keylogging virus...I guess the answer to that is no.

    Personally, after seeing Symantec corp take 2 weeks to release the definitions for a keylogger a customers network had...All symantec products I have out there are going to go away.

    My choices are getting narrowed down quickly. McAfee lost out a few years back with the Nimda virus and failing to return phone calls....at all, not just late by a few hours or even a few days, a week later I heard from them. By that time I had already moved on since more than half my customer base was infected the DAY of the outbreak, not a week later.

    But then, both of those 2 are really good at annoying the ever loving crap out of a user, which inturn causes the user to ignore all those little popups. I've even been guilty of it because I see them like 80 times a day. JUST DO YOUR JOB! You don't have to tell us what a wonderful job you are doing, just tell us when you need us to do something.

  10. well, it's nice to see by circletimessquare · · Score: 3, Interesting

    that megalomania is still alive and well in the corporate boardroom

    all they need are the sharks with frickin' laser beams and some wagnerian operas playing in the background and symantec's domination of teh intarweb is complete ...in their own mind

    grandiose schemes like this should signal to someone that they need some medication

    it's one thing to think big, it's another thing to think RIDICULOUSLY DRAMATICALLY HUGE! (cue gong)

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  11. Oh great ..... by gomaze · · Score: 3, Informative

    I have seen more problems caused by Symantec's software then I could count. I feel that if you have to run Windows then any extra layers of protection that you would need can be provided by free applications online. For example: Ad-aware, Spy-Bot, AVG Anti-Virus, ZoneAlarm, and the best firewall protection, SmoothWall.

  12. What useless crap by RyoShin · · Score: 4, Informative

    I have unyielding hate for Symantec. I've spent countless hours trying to get their products to properly allow connectivity for various programs for other people, and even more hours uninstalling it after it wouldn't listen to my yelling.

    Nothing Symantec has is good, or can't be replaced by a free alternative.

    Anti-Virus? AntiVir (If you want to pay, they have a premium version, too)
    Firewall? SP2 comes with a moderate firewall that works well. There are a good deal of free firewall programs out there, not to mention that many routers now have some sort of firewall software on them.
    Ad-aware and MAS have taken care of any spyware problems I've had to deal with (except for some of the really evil ones.)

    Any and everything else can be taken care of by good judgement and learning some PC common sense. Don't arbitrarily accept downloads that IE pops up with. Don't open every attachment that claims to be a dancing Ronald McDonald. Don't listen to every e-mail propogated by the feces of the internet that various programs in your windows folder are viruses.

    There is absolutely no need to pay $100 for Symantec's horrible piece of crap. People would be better off without it.

  13. Some nerve! by queenb**ch · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder if this is going to have another spyware-ridden root kit in it too!

    If the guys at Symantec/Norton think I'm EVER going to install/recommend ANY of their products EVER again, they're still smoking the same stuff that they were smoking when they thought that root-kitting all their customers was a good idea in the first place.

    Hey Symantec - PUT THE CRACK PIPE DOWN AND BACK AWAY SLOWLY!!!!

    2 cents,

    Queen B

    --
    HDGary secures my bank :/